We set off from Ribadeo after a few restful and interesting days. The weather had been good but we started our journey to Oviedo in the pouring rain under grey skies. We nevertheless planned to visit Castro de Coana, Luarca and Santianes on the road from Ribadeo to Oviedo.
Castro de Coana
The Castro de Coana is a hillside fort of the Iron Age, just half an hour away from Ribadeo. We had seen these forts in Galicia previously, and as it was pouring with rain didn’t feel like slipping and sliding down the hillside, so viewed from the safety of the car. One of the buildings in the castro can just be seen through the rain in the second photo below, but the post on the castro above Guarda, Santa Tecla, gives a good idea of what these sites were like.
On the road again
After ‘visiting’ the Castro we planned to stop in a seaside town, Luarca, and set off in mist and rain. However, despite the bad weather, we could not find parking near the centre and decided to move on, which was a pity.
The bay at Luarca 
Entrance to the inner harbour in Luarca
San Juan at Santianes
Our next stop was to visit the Church of St John, Evangelist and Apostle, at Santianes de Pravia, a pre-Romanesque church which dates from the 8C. This is the oldest church in Asturias and was once part of a Royal complex. Beata of Liebana once debated church doctrine in this church – a neat reminder of where our journey had begun. It was of course firmly closed so all we could do was walk around the outside, take a few pictures, and continue onwards in the gloom towards Oviedo.
The road from Ribadeo to Oviedo was our greyest, wettest day yet and it was good to eventually settle into a comfortable hotel in Oviedo, enjoy a good dinner, and get ready for more exploring!
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